The surgeon of Fort Lancaster, who keeps a meteorological journal, said they had not as much snow in that part of Texas during the whole of the past six years taken together as had fallen during the present winter. The snow which fell on the 3d had so far disappeared from the ground as to allow the animals to graze sufficiently, but I waited in order to accompany a detachment of mounted infantry going on a scout as far as Fort Hudson. _January 6._--The snow had entirely disappeared. _January 7._--We camped to-night on the Llano Estacado, about half way across it; there was not a particle of snow on the ground. We found one advantage from the snow, it had melted and run into a natural stone tank, giving us abundance of water for ourselves and stock; it will last some weeks. An expense of a few hundred dollars in building up the sides of the tank would make it capable of holding several millions of gallons of water. The Llano Estacado is here very narrow; we cross the extreme southern portion of it immediately south of us. Not a mile distant, I saw the cañons and broken gulches running eastward to the Devil’s river, and westward to the Pecos. I never had a case of sickness among either men or passengers during my whole trip, excepting a little annoyance from an over indulgence in fruit in the valley of the Rio Grande. The salubrious air must be conducive to health. Such is the purity and clearness of the atmosphere that the stars shine at night with a brilliancy unknown in this section of the country; cloudy days or nights are an exception, and the stars at night actually give light enough to enable us on our night drives, of which we have a considerable number, to find the road. It can be seen, for some distance ahead of the mules, very plainly. _Climatic boundary on the west._ _October 24._--The coast range of mountains, which approaches the sea in San Diego county, is the climatic boundary between California and Arizona. Our stock is kept at Lassator’s, 48 miles, nearly due west, from San Diego, in a beautiful valley among the mountains; in San Diego they have a charming climate the year round, while among the mountains snow falls occasionally during the winter, which in the valley below turns to rain. The snow remains on the ground but a day or two. In California there is no rain from March until October, but showers occasionally fall in these valleys during the summer months, when it is the rainy season in Sonora. The exploring party I sent over the mountain on the 15th of September were rained on all one night. We saw clouds to the westward, but not one drop of rain fell upon us.